NZ Insurance Market Trends Update

Welcome to Wotton Kearney’s NZ Insurance Market Trends Update, our biannual snapshot of legal trends and developments impacting claims managers, underwriters, brokers and corporates operating in the New Zealand market. In this edition, we look at the impact of recent matters in the areas of D&O claims, representative actions and EPL. We provide updates on […]

2021 Insurance Predictions Report

Wotton Kearney is pleased to provide our 2021 Insurance Predictions Report, looking at the major trends and issues we expect will remain in the spotlight for the insurance industry in our region this year. It’s no surprise that this report addresses some of the horizon issues that we expect to face in the wake of […]

Australian W+K APIG Scholarship winner announced

APIG and Wotton Kearney are delighted to announce that Nikolce Stojcevski, Senior Underwriter – Financial Institutions at Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance, has won the 2020 Australian W+K APIG Scholarship. Nik’s submission was selected from a high calibre of entrants for his well-considered views on the SME insurance market, and how consolidating data across the industry can […]

Resource hub: Legislative reform of the building and construction industry in NSW

The NSW Government has introduced sweeping legislative changes that are intended to regain public confidence in the building and construction industry. The new legislation, in particular the Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020, will have a significant effect on establishing the liability of design and building practitioners within the construction industry and how they are […]

NZ Court of Appeal upholds insurers’ right to cancel the policies of fraudulent claimants

Taylor v Asteron Life Limited [2020] NZCA 354: On 19 August 2020, the Court of Appeal upheld insurers’ rights to cancel policies and seek damages when there are fraudulent claims. This decision was also significant as it was the first time the Court of Appeal has applied the common law fraudulent claims rule. In this […]

A new duty of care changes the liability landscape – the impact of the Design and Building Practitioners Bill 2020

With the Design and Building Practitioners Bill 2020, the NSW Government has introduced sweeping legislative changes that are intended to regain public confidence in the construction industry. In this update, W+K’s Andrew Moore, Robert Finnigan and Chris Knight look at the key issues for insurers created by the introduction of mandatory compliance declarations by construction […]

W+K’s Jessica Chapman wins AILA’s inaugural Gill Award

We are delighted to announce that Jessica Chapman, a lawyer in W+K’s Sydney Financial Lines team, has won the Australian Insurance Law Association’s (AILA) inaugural Gill Award, which recognises lawyers for their research on issues that could affect the industry’s future. In her award submission, Jessica wrote and presented on: Decrypting crypto: The state of […]

A practical guide on managing EPL exposures caused by COVID-19 for insurers, insureds and brokers

The coronavirus (COVID-19) is having a significant and immediate impact on the entire workforce. Unfortunately, there are daily stories of mass redundancies, closures of businesses and stand down of workers. This guide provides practical advice for EPL insurers, insureds and brokers on how they can meet the insurance challenges created by the virus. W+K EPL […]

COVID-19 and D&O Liability

The Coronavirus Economic Response Package Omnibus Bill 2020 (CERPO Bill) and recent ASIC statements have put focus on management liability issues arising from the COVID-19 crisis. The CERPO Bill provides some temporary relief for directors as they navigate the uncharted territory caused by COVID-19, particularly in addressing insolvency risk. In this update, Cain Jackson and […]

COVID-19: Implications for insurers – A Legalign Global Report

The significant impact of the coronavirus pandemic is being felt worldwide. For the insurance sector, the exposures created by the coronavirus are significant as an international event of this size and complexity carries a range of insurance risks, including first party and supply chain business interruption, event cancellation, travel and liability claims. Legalign Global’s alliance […]